Golden Lane
Golden Lane is situated between the northern fortification wall of Prague Castle and the Old Burgrave’s House. It can be entered from the middle of Jiřská Street. The lane is a row of pastel coloured houses with small windows and low roofs. These houses were built as temporary dwellings into the fortification wall in the late 16th century and were occupied until WWII. Today, they represent the last remnants of buildings around Prague Castle. The houses are now mostly galleries, small shops and exhibition spaces. There are several restaurants in the area around Golden Lane, such as Svatováclavská vinice (St Wenceslas’ Vineyard – on the way to the Old Castle Stairs), which offers a beautiful view of the Prague skyline.
Useful information for visitors
Public transport connections
Královský letohrádek tram stop
Pražský hrad tram stop
Pohořelec tram stop
Opening hours and admission
For up-to-date information about the opening hours of Golden Lane, go here. Golden Lane can be visited on two guided tours. For information about admission fees, click here.
Interesting facts about Golden Lane
Originally, Golden Lane was inhabited by castle guards, workers and goldsmiths, after whom the lane is named. Their work can be seen, for example, in house No. 15. It was originally called “Goldsmith Lane” and acquired its current name later. World-famous writer Franz Kafka used to live in house No. 22 between 1916-1917. Also Matylda Průšová, a Czech fortune-teller and clairvoyant who allegedly predicted the fall of the Third Reich, lived in the street in house No. 14 before WWII. For this reason, she was later arrested by the Gestapo and tortured to death during interrogation. At the end of the lane is the Daliborka Tower, an artillery tower built as part of the castle fortification. Its ground floor was used as a prison.
